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Electronics Thefts Lead September-November Cargo Thefts

The average value of stolen freight tracked by FreightWatch spiked 77.6% September through November from the previous three-month period, with high-value electronics bucking an overall trend of fewer thefts.

From September through November, FreightWatch recorded a total of 186 thefts in the United States, with 82 thefts in September, 54 in October and 50 in November. The average loss value per incident during this period was $242,496.

Electronics, with 27 thefts, was the product type most often stolen, making up 15% of all theft incidents during the three-month period, including TVs, cell phones and video game consoles.

The Food/Drinks industry experienced 26 thefts (14% of the total), mainly of meats, sodas and energy drinks. There were 24 thefts (13% of all thefts) in the Metals category, including copper, aluminum and scrap metals.

Theft incidents in most product categories decreased proportionally with the overall decrease in thefts as compared with the June-through-August period. Exceptions to this were

Despite an overall drop in thefts during September through November, several product types saw significant increases in theft volume. Thefts targeting the Electronics industry, typically one of the most targeted categories, increased from 21 in the previous three-month period to 27 during this period. Metals thefts rose from 22 to 24, Alcohol thefts increased from 11 to 12, while thefts targeting the Pharmaceutical industry almost doubled, increasing from six to 11.